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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Nurturing My Heart

Jan 30, 2021 04:12PM ● By Joe Dunne

It is no surprise that this is what comes to mind as I focused on our theme of heart health—Valentine’s Day. A day centered around appreciation, love and strengthening what bonds us together. Time set aside with a single focus. It is a day of acknowledgement and gratitude.  Why, I asked myself, do we need holidays to spur our energy and conscious thinking to the good stuff we should be practicing every day?  

My guess is we are all too darn busy with stuff.  

As I peer into my mind and observe my day, I see that I leave little snippets of time, flashes of focused thought on what is good for my self-care, my soul, my spirit, my growth, and the growth of others, lying all around, waiting to be noticed and taken seriously. My dedication to seek tolerance, to love more, to understand the delicate art of give and take and what it takes to nurture a loving relationship is the really important stuff in my life. It is essential nutrition for my heart, mind, spirit, and soul. I should not need a reminder that it should be a bigger part of every 24 hours. 

What I think about, what I practice, what I let go of will surely come back to me. I know it is my ego that gets in the way of my spiritual path. Speaking for myself, this is the stuff I need to be at peace—self-love and practicing the art of loving. This is an everyday building journey. I just need to be open to the rewards of more love for my heart to be healthy.  

That, and a little exercise and good eating habits.


Stay healthy, stay safe, keep loving.

Joe Dunne, Publisher

In-Print publisher's letter February 2021
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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